On Media

The '60 Minutes' problems are deeper than Dylan Davies

By DYLAN BYERS

11/14/2013 11:27 AM EST

"60 Minutes" has apologized for broadcasting its interview with Dylan Davies, the security contractor who, according to reports, gave contradicting accounts of his activities on the night of the raid on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi. This week, it revealed that it is conducting a "journalistic review" of the error.

But the problems with Lara Logan's investigation into Benghazi go far deeper than Davies.

In a new report, McClatchy DC details how the "60 Minutes" package contained several errors that to date have gone unnoticed. Most significantly, Logan's report repeatedly blamed Al Qaeda for the attack — despite the fact that Al Qaeda's role in the attack has not been confirmed — and made no mention of Ansar al Shariah, the Islamic extremist group that has been suspected of carrying out the attack.

McClatchy also reports that Logan's claim that the Benghazi Medical Center was “under the control of Al Qaida terrorists" is untrue, according to McClatchy's own sources on the ground. Her report also asserted that three insurgent operators were suspects in the attack — an unsourced claim without evidence that McClatchy finds dubious at best.

McClatchy's report includes several other examples that throw the already disgraced "60 Minutes" report into question. Their full review can be read here.